In this scenario, a good thing to say would be, “Thanks for telling me, sweetie. It must be scary to have gum tangled up in your hair. I’ll help you get that taken care of.”

Let’s work on being more trustworthy to our children.

2. Gentle Parenting = Speaking their love language

What is it that makes your child feel loved?

Does your child thrive on physical affection, like hugs and snuggles? Or do they need their space?

Do you find that your child really thrives when you affirm them with words? Write him a letter telling him how much you love him and how proud you are of him. If he’s too young to read, you can read it to him.

Does your child feel loved when you give them a gift?

Be sure to give them special tokens of your love. It doesn’t have to be a toy or something store-bought. It can be something simple like a picture you drew them or their favorite dessert you baked.

Get to know your child’s love language and be intentional about filling up their love bank every single day.

One thing that ALL children have in common is that they crave one-on-one TIME with their parents.

There’s an old saying that children spell love T-I-M-E. And it’s so true!

I know you’re super-busy. And it’s so hard to make time for everything on your to-do list. But even a few minutes a day of 1 on 1 attention can make a huge difference in the life of your child.

Ideas for spending quality time with your child:

Get down on the floor and play with them. (I know, this isn’t always fun for you! But kids LOVE it.)

Play a game with them. (For younger kids it might be peek-a-boo, for older kids it might be a board game or video game.)

Communication is something that’s so important, but also something that many people struggle with.

Most of us learn communication by how it was modeled to us as children.

For some, we were yelled at as kids, and we struggle with yelling at our kids, too. It’s something that takes hard work and effort to change.

Communicating with your child can be tricky.

On one hand, you don’t want to speak down to them, but on the other hand, you don’t want to talk over their heads.

On one hand, you don’t want to be too guarded or private with them, but on the other hand, you don’t want to overshare. (TMI!)

Younger kids especially love to talk your ear off.

For most moms, it’s easy to get frustrated when you’re running around trying to get things done and your child is talking non-stop about the latest episode of Paw Patrol. (Every. Single. Detail.)

When I find myself getting frustrated, I try to remind myself of this quote.

But, there are times when you do need silence. Instead of saying, “Please hush, I’m trying to think!” Try saying, “I love your ideas and I love hearing about ___. Can we pause your story for a bit while I ___? Then, we’ll pick up where we left off and I’ll be looking forward to hearing the rest.”

Yes, it takes more effort, but the end result is a child who doesn’t feel undervalued or like he isn’t important.

I don’t think communication is something we ever fully master.

It’s always a work in progress.

Let’s aim to work on being better communicators and listeners each and every day.

Enjoy this post? Please be sure to pin it for later. I’ll be updating this post and adding new ones in this Gentle Parenting series!

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Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Marianna - a homeschool mom by day and a mental health counselor by night. I'm passionate about supporting and encouraging other moms. Click the first circle below to learn more!